David Acker, CEO and president of Sleepy’s, joins the Covenant House’s Sleep Out fundraiser Aug. 6 by sleeping on cardboard on the pavement of the Sleepy’s Hicksville headquarters parking lot.

Even though he’s the chief executive and president of one of the biggest mattress distributors in the world, David Acker opted to sleep on a piece of cardboard in a parking lot earlier this month.

Acker, a Melville resident and head of Sleepy’s, did it as part of Covenant House New York’s Sleep Out fundraiser, which seeks to raise funds and awareness for homeless youth across the Americas. Acker raised $131,000. The money will be used to help provide food, clothing, shelter, medical care and housing for hundreds of homeless youth.

“This is the type of event that literally saves lives,” said Covenant House President Kevin Ryan in a release.

Begun in New York more than 40 years ago, Covenant House now has 21 locations across the United States, Canada and Latin America, and aids more than 56,000 homeless young people each year.

On Aug. 6, Acker and 75 Sleepy’s employees joined in on the Sleep Out fundraiser by sleeping outside on the pavement of the Sleepy’s Hicksville headquarters parking lot.

“It was truly our privilege. It has joined us all together and I know that every Sleep Out participant has been forever touched by this life-changing event,” Acker said in the release.

Sleepy’s has been a proponent of Covenant House for the last several years. In the past, the company has contributed funds and a new wing at Covenant House’s New York City facility.